Together
by WonderPickle
Summary: "How long do we have?" Quintis one-shot. Warning: you probably won't like the ending.


"How long do we have?"

Happy strained her neck to dare a glance at the ticking bomb. "Two minutes, thirty seconds."

Toby nodded slowly. "Hap, listen, if you can find a way out of this, now would be the time."

They sat in identical chairs, back to back, with thick ropes wrapped around the entirety of their torsos. Their arms were barely offered the freedom their legs were, constrained like the rest of their upper bodies.

Her eyes scanned the vicinity. "Walt and the guys should've found us by now."

"Well, I don't see an ego-maniac with a 197 IQ around here, do you?"

"No, but I do happen to see a perfectly good spot to punch on your arm when we get out of here," she quipped immediately.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry."

Happy, satisfied, fidgeted with the ropes currently restraining her wrists, even though she'd tried earlier and it'd led to no avail. She thrashed each of her arms forwards in bouts of frustration. This caused instant red marks to erupt along her skin. "Damn it," she muttered, partially under her breath.

"Take it easy," Toby replied coaxingly.

She settled with a somewhat reluctant sigh. "We're sitting ducks just waiting here. We have to do something."

"Pretty sure if there was a solution, you would've figured it out by now."

Happy briefly shook her head. "There's gotta be an object we can reach, a piece of one of those boxes we can fashion into a knife."

The bomb's timer hit two minutes.

The air became thick with their mingled fear.

" _Damn it_."

But it became lighter when she suddenly blurted out an idea. "You think you can reach my boot?"

His expression became quizzical. "Yeah, why?"

"Pocket knife. If you can reach my ropes, you can saw me out. Then, when I'm loose, I'll get you."

He paused. "Do we have enough time?"

"We don't really have much of a choice, doc."

Toby bit his lip, but nodded. "Okay."

The engineer extended her foot towards him, and he outstretched his fingers. With his hand twisted at an awkward angle, he managed to retrieve a slim pocket knife wedged in the empty space in her shoe. His hand was shaky as he drew it back.

He bent his wrist backwards enough for it to cause pain, but proceeded to start rubbing the sharpened blade against the thick entwinements of her rope.

"Timer's at a minute thirty, Toby," Happy warned.

"While I have multitude of skills, sugarplum, this doesn't happen to be one of them," he replied, not much force put into his tone due to his attention being directed elsewhere.

"I know you're trying, but it'd be nice if you could speed this up."

Gritting his teeth, Toby continued to saw. He moved his hand in a rapid motion, back and forth. Back and forth, back and forth.

The rope still didn't bend or cut under the blade.

"Nothing's happening," he commented, hints of panic latching onto the undertone of his words.

"I can see that, numbnuts. Think you could go any faster?" She appeared slightly anxious.

He tried, shifting the blade more rapidly than he had been. But, with this positioning of his wrist, it was difficult to make progress.

And as the timer continued to count down, something that didn't typically present itself in Happy's voice clung to her like a leech. Blatant fear. "We're at a _minute_ , Toby."

Realization suddenly gained a cold grip, and a thought struck him. Toby's movements sped up. "I'm going to you get of here."

Happy blinked. "What?"

"I _said_ ," he groaned, "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Uh, and why the hell aren't you coming with me?"

The shrink began to work feverishly. "Lovebug, there isn't enough time to cut both of us free."

"I'm not leaving unless you come with me."

He shook his head, continuing to saw.

"Doc. You're coming with me."

He didn't listen.

" _Doc_."

"I've almost got it," he told her desperately.

He wasn't even close to having it.

Irritation and panic raised her eyebrows. " _Toby_."

Fortunately, the first rope was beginning to loosen, and it was loose enough for Toby to get excited. "Happy," he said, a smile in his tone, "you're gonna make it out of here."

"Like hell. I told you, I'm not leaving without you." In an attempt to finish off the restraining ropes, she jerked her body another time. It didn't have the affect she hoped for, only causing Toby to drop the weapon that would've led to an escape.

" _Damn it_!" he yelped as the knife sprung from his fingers and jumped out of reach.

He shifted his head away.

The timer on the bomb hit thirty seconds. And raw desperation crawled into Toby's voice.

Happy muttered a stream of curses.

Toby's head leaned back against the top of hers. A wave of hopelessness hit both of them.

"Happy Quinn," he whimpered, "you are the love of my life. You are the single greatest thing to ever happen to me. I-"

She was more frantic than normal. "Toby, what the hell are you doing?"

"Reciting my vows," he answered, "If we don't get out of here, I might as well say them now, because Happy, if we're about to die, I want my last words to be about how much I love you."

The part between her lips closed, comprehension settling into her pupils. She exhaled, but with a nod, said, "Okay."

He entwined his fingers with hers. "God, I wish I could see your face again."

She almost sounded like she was about to give a spurt of breathy laughter. "Finish your vows, dummy."

Toby gave a quirk of his lip at the fact that she was still able to talk like herself. "Happy, I'm really sorry we're about to die without getting married. I've wanted to become husband and wife for so long-"

"That doesn't sound like a wedding vow."

"...Right. ...Listen, Hap. I've messed up a lot in my life. I've screwed up a lot. But getting you to love me, that was one thing I did right." Toby tightened their fingers. "I've become a better person, just because of you. I don't think about gambling, I don't _want_ to gamble, I'm less of a jackass...most of the time. And I just...I always wanted a perfect woman. I didn't know that was you until I finally realized that I had loved you all along. I've loved you since the minute I walked through the garage door, and I'm gonna love you until my last."

"Toby," she breathed, "I'm not really good at all this feeling stuff. But I know...how I feel about you. I thought love was stupid, and made up. For once, I was wrong. I didn't even know _how_ to love, but you didn't give up on me while I learned. And it just really sucks that we're not going to get married-"

"That doesn't sound like a wedding vow," he remarked, mocking her earlier comment.

She somehow managed a tiny grin. "I thought I'd never have anybody, and that I'd end up alone. You showed me, if I opened up, it was possible to give...and receive love. And I do love you. I just really wanted to spend the rest of our lives together."

The time dropped down to ten seconds.

"It's physically paining me not to kiss you one last time," Toby whispered.

Happy swallowed. "I love you."

Toby took a shaky breath. "Happy, I love you more than I have ever loved anything or anyone in my entire life. I'm sorry I couldn't get us out of here," he murmured.

"It was my fault you dropped the knife," Happy replied.

Five seconds.

Toby gave her hand a final squeeze. "I will follow you anywhere. Including to our deaths. Because, as long as we're together, dying doesn't seem so shitty, after all."

Happy passed the pulse back through her fingers. "As long as we're together."

The timer hit zero.


End file.
